Healing Chapter 23
Title: Healing (23/X)
Author: Maggie2mw (that's me!)
Word Count: 1,300
Rating: PG
Pairing: SS/OC and other minor pairings
Warnings: Spoiler to DH
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Olga opened her eyes to a strange world and decided to stay. She met strange people, and then realised that she is not much different. Hogwarts is reopening, and there are Death Eater activities again...
Chapter 23 - Preparation
We told our plans to the rest of the household at dinner. It was not well received. Lucius and Narcissa both fawned, but it was Draco who was vocal about his disagreement.
“Are you mad Olga?” Draco exclaimed. It was only his Malfoy manners that stopped him from standing up and come around the table to shake me. “And you are agreeing to this, Sev?”
“Yes.” Severus replied calmly. “We will only be gone for a few hours and be back in time for the Ball.”
“On Christmas day, in the middle of the winter, to the middle of who knows where.”
I winced. Narcissa saw my reaction. “Draco, do not insult Olga’s origin.”
“But here is her home now. She is content here.” Slightly uncertain, he turned towards me. “Olga, you are happy here right? You do not wish to go back do you?”
“Christmas is a time for reunion of the family, it is only nature for Olga to feel a slight home sickness.” Lucius’ fawn deepened. “We were not aware that you have any relatives, but it was inconsiderate of us to assume. I am sorry.”
Suddenly alarmed, I remembered that I have not told the Elder Malfoys the truth of my past. Sitting here surrounded by the hospitality and care they gave me, I felt ashamed of deceiving them. They had accepted me as a part of their family, they deserve the complete truth of my past.
I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. “Mister and Misers Malfoy, I am afraid that I have not informed you of the truth of my origin. If you are angry of been betrayed, I am truly sorry. At first it was for my own safety, but now after you have showed me your generosity and acceptance, I can no longer excuse my dishonesty. I can only hope for forgiveness by coming clean of my past.”
“Olga, are you sure of this?” Severus’ hand sought out mine.
“Yes, if I am going back to seek closure to let go of my past, then I need my new life to be built on trust not deception.” I caught his gaze trying to convey my sincerity. “All the people that matters to me in this life are sitting here at this table. This is my family, this is my life, right here.”
Lucius felt the seriousness of the situation. “Olga, we all have our secrets and dark past that we never wish to revisit. We have accepted you into the Malfoy family because of who you are. If you feel the past is the past, then we shall respect that. You are a wonderful person, an honourable addition to the Malfoy name. Nothing in the past will change that. Look around you, we were Death Eaters. Now is not the time for a discussion of the light and dark, but one thing is certain, our past had made our name fawned on by the society. It is I that shall ask for forgiveness, as now the Malfoy name is more of a burden than a privilege.”
“Mister Malfoy, no, Lucius, you have mistaken me.” I paused to phrase my thoughts. “I am grateful for the family you given me, nothing in this world would make me give this up. It must be a great risk you took to open your home to a complete stranger. Although I am not a fugitive running away from a dark past, I am not a complete normal witch.”
“We could see it with your Healer’s Mark.” Narcissa gave me an encouraging smile.
I shook my head and laughed weakly. “I wish it is this simple and flashy. This is only a surprising bypass of my secret past. I wish to move on with my life, which means I need to face my past. This is why I am visiting my hometown tomorrow. You are the foundation of my new life, as I just said to Severus, this is a life I wish to be built on sincerity and trust. And I trust you with the knowledge of my secret.”
Lucius nodded. “In this case, we shall proceed to the study. No reason why we could not have some comfort while listening to our story teller.”
CHANGEOFSCENE
After few passes of drinks, I settled into the silent support of Severus’ arms and began my tale.
I narrated my previous life briefly. Severus had seen it all in my mind, but to the Malfoys this is the first time I mentioned anything of my life before meeting Severus. Draco listened attentively; I knew he had been curious but refined from asking to respect my privacy. I could see the puzzle forming in the two Elder Malfoys’ minds: My old life was one that had no knowledge of the magical world, it could take an miracle for Severus’ and my path to meet. I embraced myself for the questioning and dropped the bombshell.
To my amazement none was forthcoming. Draco was looking smug, Narcissa was in wonder, and Lucius was deep in thought.
After a few second, Lucius looked up at Severus and commented, “There were surely enough magic released in the battle at Hogwarts to trigger such an occurrence.”
Severus shrugged. “I would not know. I was not conscious then.”
“So you woke up after been bitten and took the first a stranger that came into your sight to your home?” Lucius raised an eyebrow at that.
“Not before I performed Legilimency and confirmed her intention.”
“But Olga could be a master Occlumens.” Lucius pointed out.
“I had accepted death, been brought back to life, what more could I lose?” Giving my shoulder a squeeze, Severus continued, “Olga gave me a profound sense of security, I could trust her with my life.”
“As do I.” I murmured. I dread the direction of the discussion.
Narcissa must have sensed my mode. “Olga, please understand we are no way questioning the credibility of your tale, only examining the cause of the situation.”
“Yes, Olga.” Lucius added quickly. “I am sorry if we sounded otherwise.” He then looked at Draco intensely. “I gather that you are aware of this Draco, and you see fit to conceive this from your father?”
Draco cringed. “Partly. Severus held Olga in high regards. I had just run away from the attack to the Manor, Olga convinced Severus to trust me and give me shelter. That was the main reason that I offer her the Malfoy protection. She had offered her secret to help me settle, I was not going to betray her trust.”
“We shall continue this another time.” Lucius gave Draco a briefest nod, but Draco was visibly relaxed. Turning back to Severus and me, Lucius said, “Now back to the topic at hand. I can understand the reason that you wish to go back, but do you feel it is safe for the two of you to travel across the world at this time of the year? Not only the weather, but there are danger lurking out there seeking revenge.”
“If there are plans against us, this sudden plan will take them by surprise.” Severus replied. “It is not the best way, but we will have to make do. I had also invited Zihan Kwong the Muggle Studies Professor, as he had lived in the area. He would help us to speed up the search, and an extra a pair of eye and a wand if we are in trouble.”
“I should go with you also.” Draco demanded.
“No. Too many of us will attract unwanted attention.” Severus said firmly.
“And you trust this Mister Kwong?” Lucius asked.
“Yes, I do.” I answered, surprising everyone.
Severus looked at me intensely for a while then nodded, “If Olga trusts him then it is good enough for me.”
“Alright, I will have the Portkey ready by noon tomorrow.” Lucius agreed reluctantly.
Author: Maggie2mw (that's me!)
Word Count: 1,300
Rating: PG
Pairing: SS/OC and other minor pairings
Warnings: Spoiler to DH
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Olga opened her eyes to a strange world and decided to stay. She met strange people, and then realised that she is not much different. Hogwarts is reopening, and there are Death Eater activities again...
Chapter 23 - Preparation
We told our plans to the rest of the household at dinner. It was not well received. Lucius and Narcissa both fawned, but it was Draco who was vocal about his disagreement.
“Are you mad Olga?” Draco exclaimed. It was only his Malfoy manners that stopped him from standing up and come around the table to shake me. “And you are agreeing to this, Sev?”
“Yes.” Severus replied calmly. “We will only be gone for a few hours and be back in time for the Ball.”
“On Christmas day, in the middle of the winter, to the middle of who knows where.”
I winced. Narcissa saw my reaction. “Draco, do not insult Olga’s origin.”
“But here is her home now. She is content here.” Slightly uncertain, he turned towards me. “Olga, you are happy here right? You do not wish to go back do you?”
“Christmas is a time for reunion of the family, it is only nature for Olga to feel a slight home sickness.” Lucius’ fawn deepened. “We were not aware that you have any relatives, but it was inconsiderate of us to assume. I am sorry.”
Suddenly alarmed, I remembered that I have not told the Elder Malfoys the truth of my past. Sitting here surrounded by the hospitality and care they gave me, I felt ashamed of deceiving them. They had accepted me as a part of their family, they deserve the complete truth of my past.
I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. “Mister and Misers Malfoy, I am afraid that I have not informed you of the truth of my origin. If you are angry of been betrayed, I am truly sorry. At first it was for my own safety, but now after you have showed me your generosity and acceptance, I can no longer excuse my dishonesty. I can only hope for forgiveness by coming clean of my past.”
“Olga, are you sure of this?” Severus’ hand sought out mine.
“Yes, if I am going back to seek closure to let go of my past, then I need my new life to be built on trust not deception.” I caught his gaze trying to convey my sincerity. “All the people that matters to me in this life are sitting here at this table. This is my family, this is my life, right here.”
Lucius felt the seriousness of the situation. “Olga, we all have our secrets and dark past that we never wish to revisit. We have accepted you into the Malfoy family because of who you are. If you feel the past is the past, then we shall respect that. You are a wonderful person, an honourable addition to the Malfoy name. Nothing in the past will change that. Look around you, we were Death Eaters. Now is not the time for a discussion of the light and dark, but one thing is certain, our past had made our name fawned on by the society. It is I that shall ask for forgiveness, as now the Malfoy name is more of a burden than a privilege.”
“Mister Malfoy, no, Lucius, you have mistaken me.” I paused to phrase my thoughts. “I am grateful for the family you given me, nothing in this world would make me give this up. It must be a great risk you took to open your home to a complete stranger. Although I am not a fugitive running away from a dark past, I am not a complete normal witch.”
“We could see it with your Healer’s Mark.” Narcissa gave me an encouraging smile.
I shook my head and laughed weakly. “I wish it is this simple and flashy. This is only a surprising bypass of my secret past. I wish to move on with my life, which means I need to face my past. This is why I am visiting my hometown tomorrow. You are the foundation of my new life, as I just said to Severus, this is a life I wish to be built on sincerity and trust. And I trust you with the knowledge of my secret.”
Lucius nodded. “In this case, we shall proceed to the study. No reason why we could not have some comfort while listening to our story teller.”
CHANGEOFSCENE
After few passes of drinks, I settled into the silent support of Severus’ arms and began my tale.
I narrated my previous life briefly. Severus had seen it all in my mind, but to the Malfoys this is the first time I mentioned anything of my life before meeting Severus. Draco listened attentively; I knew he had been curious but refined from asking to respect my privacy. I could see the puzzle forming in the two Elder Malfoys’ minds: My old life was one that had no knowledge of the magical world, it could take an miracle for Severus’ and my path to meet. I embraced myself for the questioning and dropped the bombshell.
To my amazement none was forthcoming. Draco was looking smug, Narcissa was in wonder, and Lucius was deep in thought.
After a few second, Lucius looked up at Severus and commented, “There were surely enough magic released in the battle at Hogwarts to trigger such an occurrence.”
Severus shrugged. “I would not know. I was not conscious then.”
“So you woke up after been bitten and took the first a stranger that came into your sight to your home?” Lucius raised an eyebrow at that.
“Not before I performed Legilimency and confirmed her intention.”
“But Olga could be a master Occlumens.” Lucius pointed out.
“I had accepted death, been brought back to life, what more could I lose?” Giving my shoulder a squeeze, Severus continued, “Olga gave me a profound sense of security, I could trust her with my life.”
“As do I.” I murmured. I dread the direction of the discussion.
Narcissa must have sensed my mode. “Olga, please understand we are no way questioning the credibility of your tale, only examining the cause of the situation.”
“Yes, Olga.” Lucius added quickly. “I am sorry if we sounded otherwise.” He then looked at Draco intensely. “I gather that you are aware of this Draco, and you see fit to conceive this from your father?”
Draco cringed. “Partly. Severus held Olga in high regards. I had just run away from the attack to the Manor, Olga convinced Severus to trust me and give me shelter. That was the main reason that I offer her the Malfoy protection. She had offered her secret to help me settle, I was not going to betray her trust.”
“We shall continue this another time.” Lucius gave Draco a briefest nod, but Draco was visibly relaxed. Turning back to Severus and me, Lucius said, “Now back to the topic at hand. I can understand the reason that you wish to go back, but do you feel it is safe for the two of you to travel across the world at this time of the year? Not only the weather, but there are danger lurking out there seeking revenge.”
“If there are plans against us, this sudden plan will take them by surprise.” Severus replied. “It is not the best way, but we will have to make do. I had also invited Zihan Kwong the Muggle Studies Professor, as he had lived in the area. He would help us to speed up the search, and an extra a pair of eye and a wand if we are in trouble.”
“I should go with you also.” Draco demanded.
“No. Too many of us will attract unwanted attention.” Severus said firmly.
“And you trust this Mister Kwong?” Lucius asked.
“Yes, I do.” I answered, surprising everyone.
Severus looked at me intensely for a while then nodded, “If Olga trusts him then it is good enough for me.”
“Alright, I will have the Portkey ready by noon tomorrow.” Lucius agreed reluctantly.